The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-08-25
PISTOLS, SHOTGUNS, RIFLES.
Interesting Facts About Weapons of Sport
and Death.

and Death.
There have been pistols enough
sold in the last ten years to arm the
male population of the United States.
and if every man and big boy in the
country has not got one it must be be-
cause the cheap pistols don't last long
enough TO be handed down as heir
looms So spoke the manager of a
famous house in the firearms business
on Maiden Lane.
lis the demand for pistols increas-
ing in proportion to the increase of
populationP"
Il am glad to say that it is not, es-
pecially i'll the South, where it has
heretofore been the rule for the male
sex to go armed, and where the crack
of the revolver has too often been the
umpire in argument. The authorities
in several Southern States have APP
parently seen the necessity of placing
some restraint on the carrying of
deadly weapons, and the preponder-
ance of public sentiment is everywhere
against the indiscriminate practice.
Texas has enacted a law imposing six
months Imprisonment and fine of
$3.50 for carrying a pistol. In Ten
nessee, Georgia, Alabama and Arkan-
sas the sale of pistol cartridges is pro-
hibited. The Northwestern State of
illinois has very good law, requiring
dealers i'll pistols to keep record OF
every sale, and to whom sold, as
apothecaries must do when selling
poisons. This law, of course, facili-
tates the procuring of evidence in
cases of murder by the use of pistol. 4"
You do not approve of cheap pis-
tolsP"
Il do not. The purchaser of pis-
tol, desiring good, durable and trust
worthy weapon, should not pay less
than SO, and from that to $15. The
vast majority of pistols in the market
are, however, of the IS cent and'$1
quality. There is probably no danger
OF explosion in using such weapons.
They are not likely to burst, as the
strain is on the shell and at the breech.
and there is ample strength there, as
a general thing, to prevent bursting.
But such pistols soon wear out Like
the razors Hodge bought at a shilling
d dozen, they are manufactured to
SELL"
''Do many women buy pistolS?"
''Some respectable women, liyiup
isolated, or under ciscumstanCg r,ihc6
Justify the apprehension that there
may be need for a deadly weapon for
use in defending themselves or their
properly, procure pistols. Bu N such
cases tAey are very apt to Tx the
weapon up in drawer, and lot be
aole to get it when they may happen
to need It, Fast women not unlre-
quently arm themselves with pistols.
They usually buy the cheap kind As
a rule, when a woman buys pistol
she probably has some very serious
idea In her head. Under ordinary cir
cumstances the sex has no inclination
for such weapons.
The trade in sporting weapons"
added the manager, lis increasing.
A good many more shotguns are sold
than rifles, and, Notwithstanding the
80 per cent. duty, English shotguns
continue III favor, because they are
made by hand and have undergone
thorough Government inspection,
while the American weapon is made
by machinery and is subjected to no
Government test whatever A good
English shotgun can be procured at
from S25 to $50, Il first class weapon
for from $75 to S100, but some English
shotguns are sold as low as so or Sls,
Even these are safe, as far as burStino
Is concerned, owing to the 1.ioid Cow
ernment inspection, A., shotGuns i'm
ported are not han, made. as there are
TWO manufacturers in Belgium who
use haoh-nery. American shotguns
reta'r for from $40 to $75 and 800 for
.ne better grades, the English hand
made goods being able to undersell
the American, the tariff to the con-
trary Notwithstanding.
''In rifles, however the Americans
hold the market. Their machine man.
ufactured rifles cannot be equaled by
the handiwork of Englshmen, and
American rifles are sold all over the
world. The demand for sporting RI
fles has, however, been unfavorably
affected bs the indiscCminate slaugh-
ter of large game in the Far West.
The class of arms sold to buffalo hunt
ers has almost gone out of the market,
owing to the rapid extinction of the
buffalo"
These dealers in arms are in favor
of the protection of game?"
''Emphatically so, and every true
sportsman is. The extinction of game
would mean the cessation of a demand
for sporting arms.
''Is game decreasing in the Eastern
and Middle StateS?"
Il should say not, Judging from the
demand for shotguns and sporting RI
iies. The game laws are being made
more and more stringent, and public
sentiment sustains their enforcement.
The small game of the Atlantic States
is rather on the increase. ."-NeU York
Sun.